


The Fear is Not Enough

by NeurotropicAgentX



Category: Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015), Star Wars Prequel Trilogy
Genre: Bad Ideas, Blow Jobs, Dubious Consent, Force Use, Force-Ghoul, Fuck Or Die, Hate Sex, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Shades of Past Rape/Non-con, Sith Consent, Sith Training, Speciesism, TW – Torture, Threesome, Tread Carefully
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-10
Updated: 2016-05-21
Packaged: 2018-06-07 14:05:39
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,472
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6808153
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NeurotropicAgentX/pseuds/NeurotropicAgentX
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>or "A Problem for the Force-Null"</p><p>Kylo undertakes an ancient ritual to revive the long-dead Sith lord Darth Maul. It works, broadly. Hux does not appreciate being dragged into this and Maul wonders why a Force-null is here at all. Things escalate.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Continuation of a work cross-posted for [this](http://tfa-kink.dreamwidth.org/3961.html?thread=9583225#cmt9583225) prompt from the TFA kinkmeme. Please heed the tags.
> 
> Obligatory shout out to my editor for her invaluable assistance.

Kylo fitted the last piece of shattered casing into the weapon’s hilt. He channelled the Force, using the ache in his back and shoulders and the simmering rage at such a beautiful artefact being damaged. With a touch of heat and telekinesis, the last piece bonded with the exterior, leaving the weapon whole and gleaming. Kylo rose from the workbench and stretched his muscles. He cradled the weapon in his hands on the way back to his rooms. It was late in the night-shift and few other troops were around.

Once he was settled in his quarters, with the door firmly secured against intrusion, he cleared a wide space and placed the weapon in the centre of his floor. He removed his helmet and sank down until he was sitting in his usual cross-legged meditation position. His eyes slid closed and he arrayed the pieces of the ritual in his mind. The ancient Sith texts he’d read had been fragmented, imprecise, but having a focus lying in front of him and a clear idea of how to apply his willpower should be enough.

Kylo breathed deeply and rhythmically, focusing on the core of his emotions. Hate and anger rose hot and fast in response to his call. Blood pounded in his arteries and his lips peeled back from his teeth in a silent snarl. The feeling grew, implacable, until it pressed against the inside of his skin. Each muscle tensed as the emotions soared to a fever pitch. Only when Kylo felt as if his entire body was burning with the intensity of his rage and hatred, did he reach out to the Force.

The power that washed back at him was staggering. Every nerve tingled with it and still Kylo pressed for more. The Force roared through him, replacing emotion with a strength that made him itch to strike out, to destroy and kill. Kylo growled and fought to contain it. When he extended his hand, it almost seemed to move apart from him. Power flowed toward the weapon lying on the floor and it absorbed the offering. It suddenly became a struggle to hold _back_ as the weapon drank in dark side power. Kylo fought it, harnessing his anger and the spike of fear. His arm started trembling. The energy moving through him sparked pain in his body and that gave him the strength to break the connection. It had to be enough.

Kylo was dizzy with the amount of power he’d channelled. He blinked as a shadowy mist rose from the saberstaff. It began forming a recognisable, humanoid shape and elation sang through him. The mist solidified, taking on texture and colour, until a fully materialised zabrak stood in the centre of the room. 

Kylo stood up and stared as the zabrak looked down at himself with an inscrutable expression. He turned his hands over in front of his face and then clenched and relaxed his fists. His gaze flickered around the room, noting the bare walls, the bed, and Kylo himself. The zabrak’s eyes lingered on the chest where Kylo kept Darth Vader’s old helmet before fixing on the saberstaff at his feet. He extended his hand, but the saberstaff only wobbled where it lay. He frowned.

Kylo finally spoke up. ‘You’re Darth Maul,’ he said, ‘apprentice to Darth Sidious.’

Maul’s golden eyes fixed on Kylo. ‘Yes,’ he said simply. ‘Why am I here?’

‘I brought you back,’ Kylo said, excitement rising in him at his success. ‘I have so many questions to ask you about Darth Sidious and about the ways of the Sith.’

Maul folded his arms inside his robes. ‘Ask quickly. My power is weak. I will not last here long.’

‘What?! But I channelled so much power! I did _everything_ correctly. How do I fix it? How do I stabilise your presence?’ Kylo demanded. 

The look Maul gave him carried an edge of disdain. ‘With dark emotions,’ he said, as if the answer were obvious. ‘Where all power comes from.’

Kylo flushed. ‘Yes. I see that now. What do I do?’

‘I need a way to focus the useful emotions. I have been without a form too long and it is difficult to remember how.’

Kylo thought for a moment. ‘When I need to focus my hate and rage I have, well, I have someone who helps me with that. It’s a deal, we have.’

Maul nodded reluctantly. ‘I know of such things. Rage, pain and hate will help sustain me.’ He seemed unenthusiastic about the prospect. 

Kylo retrieved his comm and sent a message to Hux. They’d had an… arrangement for some time now. Their mutual antagonism carried over into the bedroom and Kylo really did find it a useful way to strengthen his connection to the dark side. It also wasn’t entirely unpleasant for its own sake either. He assumed it was the same for Hux, considering the way he continued to show up.

 _Come to my rooms. I need to connect with the dark side. Be prepared for violence,_ he sent to Hux.

It didn’t take long to get a reply. _It’s the middle of the night-shift!_

 _You’re clearly not asleep_ , Kylo sent.

There was a longer pause this time. _I’ll be there. Make sure_ you’re _prepared for violence._

Kylo smiled to himself and sent a final message telling Hux to hurry. Then he put away his comm and looked back up. Maul was standing with his arms crossed. He may as well have been carved from stone for all his lack of movement. 

‘What was Darth Sidious like?’ Kylo asked.

‘Strong, cruel, secretive.’ Maul shrugged. ‘He trained me to kill and he taught me to be strong in the dark side.’ Maul tilted his head to one side, scrutinising Kylo. ‘You are not Sith.’

Kylo draw himself up slightly. ‘No. I am the master of the Knights of Ren.’

Maul stared at him. ‘I do not know of these Knights.’

Kylo opened his mouth to explain, but then sensed Hux’s arrival at his door. He went over to disengage the security measures and let him in. 

Hux was wearing his usual sneer and he walked in as if he was the one with the familiar-territory advantage. He stopped dead when he saw Maul, though. ‘What the kriff is this, Ren?’ he demanded.

Maul was studying Hux in turn. ‘He is not Force-sensitive,’ he pointed out.

Kylo looked between the two of them. ‘This is Darth Maul, former apprentice to the Emperor himself. The short version is that he needs dark emotions to keep him on this plane of existence.’

Hux gave Kylo an unimpressed look. ‘You didn’t think this was something worth mentioning in your message? You and I fuck, supposedly as part of your dark side mysticism, and now you want to include some sort of Force-ghoul?’

Maul took a step forward. ‘If he is not Force-sensitive, does that mean you hurt him?’ he asked Kylo. He seemed pleased by the idea. 

Before Kylo could answer, Hux stepped into Maul’s personal space and glared at him. ‘I don’t know what Ren’s told you, but it’s going to take some convincing to get me to bed a sub-human, the Emperor’s apprentice or not.’

Maul gave a smile that bared his teeth. It was the first real expression Kylo had seen him wear. ‘I can see how you’d be useful. I can feel my hate focusing already, Force-null or not.’

Kylo spoke over the top of them both. ‘Maul has historical and dark side knowledge that could be useful to the First Order and to the Supreme Leader himself. Besides, general,’ here Kylo turned to face Hux fully, ‘your argument would be a lot more convincing if I couldn’t feel your arousal.’

Hux glowered. ‘It’s the nature of the transgressive to be exciting.’

Maul stared back impassively. ‘I will be of no use, if I fade,’ he said.

Hux muttered something unflattering under his breath. ‘What exactly needs to be done here?’ 

‘I need rage, hate, pain and fear. Mine. Yours. It doesn’t matter,’ Maul replied.

‘I’d be happy to work you over,’ Hux said, sneering at Maul.

Maul’s smile broadened. ‘You could try, Force-null.’

Kylo stepped between them. ‘We’re wasting time,’ he snapped. He needed to hurry this along, so he grabbed Hux around the back of the neck and sank his teeth into his lip. It probably would have been better to start on Maul, but while Kylo would never admit it out loud, he was a little intimidated by the Sith lord. Hux responded exactly as predicted and grabbed a handful of Kylo’s hair to yank him back. ‘Don’t even think of splitting my lip, Ren,’ he hissed. Kylo glanced over Hux’s shoulder. Maul was staring at the two of them with undisguised interest. 

‘Come here,’ Kylo said, gesturing. 

Maul stalked forward until he was pressed against Hux’s back. Hux scowled at Kylo for a moment before twisting around to face Maul. ‘You had better be _a lot_ of use to the Supreme Leader,’ he said before tugging Maul forward by the front of his robes and kissing him. Maul froze for a moment before grabbing Hux around the waist and kissing back. Kylo couldn’t help note the way he kept his pointed teeth out of the kiss. Perhaps he’d taken Hux’s complaint to heart. Kylo felt it when Hux gasped. 

‘Do you have kriffing claws under those gloves?’ Hux demanded.

‘Yes,’ Maul replied simply. ‘Do you like them? Or perhaps humans are too fragile.’

Hux gave a derisive laugh. ‘You’re not exactly subtle.’ He grabbed one of Maul’s wrists and raised it to his face. Then he seized the tip of one of Maul’s gloves between his teeth and pulled it off. Kylo’s breath caught at the sight and he reflexively slid his hands over Hux’s shoulders. He also didn’t miss the way Maul’s gaze had fixed on Hux’s action. 

Hux let the glove drop to the ground. ‘If we’re going to do this, we should all strip down. The two of you obviously come from the same school of thought regarding elaborate robes with too many layers.’

Maul nodded thoughtfully. ‘Contact with bare flesh will help in the channelling.’ He looked back to Hux. ‘I look forward to feeding off your dark emotions. It’s not like _you_ have a use for them.’ He stepped back, just far enough to give himself room to undress. Kylo followed his lead and started removing the layers of his own robes. He watched both of them out of the corner of his eye. Their bodies contrasted as starkly as their faces. 

Maul’s proportions were heavy compared to a human’s build, but the lines of lean muscle that corded his frame spoke of a body suited to agile combat manoeuvres. Kylo itched to know what lightsaber forms Maul favoured and how he integrated the Force into his fighting-style. 

Conversely, Hux carried all the signs of the First Order’s basic training, but nothing that would have been built through battle. Kylo would be surprised if the man had ever seen combat. The complete lack of scarring filled Kylo with an angry sort of disdain. It would be useful tonight.

Kylo set aside the last of his garments. Maul was completely unselfconscious about his nudity, but Kylo recognised Hux’s folded arms as a vaguely defensive gesture. He smiled.

‘So what exactly is your plan, Ren?’ Hux asked, lifting an eyebrow.

Kylo hadn’t actually though that far ahead, not that he was going to let Hux know that. ‘We’re rough when we fuck and there’s enough antagonism between us for me to use. I assume it will be the same with someone else.’

Hux pinched the bridge of his nose. ‘That’s the extent of your planning? Well done, I’m _certainly_ feeling antagonistic right now.’

Maul snorted in amusement and grabbed Hux around the waist again. His nails dug into the pale flesh. Hux hissed. ‘You are. I like the feel of it,’ Maul said.

Hux gripped Maul’s wrists. ‘Get your claws out of my sides, you animal.’

Maul flicked a look at Kylo, who shrugged. Maul relaxed his grip, but didn’t let go entirely.

Kylo gestured toward his bed. ‘We’re wasting time.’

Maul nodded and stalked over to sit near the end of the mattress. Hux eyed the bed. ‘Do you think the three of us will even fit?’

Kylo snorted and moved behind Hux. He put his hands on Hux’s shoulders to steer him toward the bed. ‘If it can fit the both of us, one more probably won’t make much of a difference.’

Hux shrugged off Kylo’s hands and walked around to the far side of where Maul was sitting. He knelt on top of the covers and reached out with one hand. Maul turned to face Hux and seized his wrist with impossibly fast reflexes. They glared at each other over the top of their hands. Then Maul reached out with his free hand and ran his nails down Hux’s chest. 

There was a level of fascination in his expression as he followed the line of hair down Hux’s torso. Kylo noted the way Maul’s fingers twined through Hux’s pubic hair. Hux rolled his eyes. ‘Yes, such an exotic colour, it does indeed match my hair, and I assure you that I’ve heard all the comments before.’

Maul glanced up from where he’d been staring at Hux’s crotch. ‘Colour? No, hair itself is…different. Novel.’

Hux snorted. ‘Have you seen Ren’s ridiculous mop? Surely that would be more interesting to you.’

Maul’s gaze flicked between Hux and Kylo. ‘Perhaps.’

Kylo could sense his wariness. It was understandable. Being a Sith without reliable access to the power of the Force, while in the presence of another dark-side user, would lead to a lot of uncertainty. He resisted the impulse to let Maul casually know that he was free to play with his hair, if he wanted. Instead he walked over and sat at the head of the bed, behind Hux. 

Maul watched Kylo’s movements closely and released Hux’s wrist. Kylo wrapped an arm around Hux and leaned back against the wall until they were sitting plastered together, chest to back. The durasteel wasn’t too cold against his skin in his temperature-controlled room. For once Hux didn’t protest about being manhandled. His attention was focused on Maul, who was now leaning forward to bite at Hux’s thigh.

Hux hissed at the sensation. ‘If you think I’m letting you anywhere near my cock with those teeth—’ he began. 

Maul’s nails bit into Hux’s thighs, keeping him spread and steady. He grazed his teeth over a tendon and licked at Hux’s half-hard cock. He pulled back enough to speak again. ‘You’re not going to stop me,’ he said, ‘and I could use your fear.’ 

‘It’s not _fear_ , it’s a healthy sense of—ah!’ Hux hand’s grabbed reflexively at Maul’s head, but the lack of hair made it hard for him to get a grip. Kylo snorted at the frisson of fear he felt from the general. It soon mellowed into something warmer as Maul started sucking him.

‘You’re actually good at that,’ Hux said, an edge of condescension colouring his tone. Kylo felt a spike of rage and the ghost of old pain through the Force. Maul pulled back again to flick his gaze up to Hux. 

‘It was necessary,’ was all he said on the matter before returning his attention to Hux’s cock.

‘You have a gift for getting under a person’s skin,’ Kylo remarked to Hux.

Hux hummed mock-thoughtfully. ‘It even seems to extend to beast-people.’ Maul growled around his mouthful and his nails dug into Hux’s thighs. Hux gasped and arched slightly into the sensation. ‘You’re hardly disproving my point,’ he panted.

Kylo swept his palm over Hux’s chest. ‘I can feel the strength of his rage and hate for you. You should be careful, general.’

‘I’m only doing what’s necessary.’

‘So will he. And we can _both_ feel how much you’re enjoying this.’ 

Hux’s response was lost in a long moan. His hips bucked up and Kylo felt a deep gratification flaring through the Force. He leaned down for a kiss, swallowing Hux’s sharp cry of pleasure.

Maul sat up and wiped his mouth with the back of his hand while Hux panted. Kylo couldn’t help the way his gaze roved over Maul’s body and his obvious arousal.

‘I could help you with that,’ Kylo said, gesturing. ‘If you’d like.’

Maul watched him with unreadable golden eyes. The wariness was back and rolling uneasily through the Force. ‘Perhaps. I would like to use the Force-null, though. It would be good to stop him speaking.’

Kylo barked a laugh while Hux glared at Maul. ‘You’re not making a good case for it,’ Hux sneered.

Maul slid a hand around the back of Hux’s neck, so that the backs of his knuckles grazed Kylo’s collarbone. His nails teased at Hux’s hairline. ‘Will you stop me?’ he asked.

Hux muttered something unsavoury under his breath, but bent down when Maul tugged at him. Kylo had to move to one side to accommodate Hux’s change of position. It gave him an excellent view of Hux’s pale lips stretching around the head of Maul’s cock. Hux used one hand to steady himself against Maul’s thigh and wrapped the other one around his shaft.

Maul gave a choked-off sound and his hands came up to grip Hux’s hair. He seemed more concerned with playing with the strands than directing Hux’s movements, though. Kylo shivered as he imagined what it would feel like to have those sharp nails skimming over his scalp. 

‘Can I touch you?’ he asked Maul.

Maul gave him an assessing look through narrowed eyes. ‘You can,’ he replied.

Kylo smiled and stood up to move around the bed, until he was behind Maul’s back. Hux may have had a point about the logistics, because he ended up kneeling on the very edge of the mattress and had to lean forward to maintain his balance. It was worth it though. He smoothed his palms over the plane of Maul’s shoulders before skating his fingertips down expanse of warm red-and-black skin. Maul gave a low hiss and Kylo bit him at the juncture of neck and shoulder. 

Maul froze at the feel of Kylo’s teeth, but then jerked his head sharply to the side, displaying the long line of his neck. Kylo took the invitation and alternated between biting at Maul’s skin and soothing the marks with his tongue. He also repositioned his head so that his hair brushed against Maul’s other shoulder. 

Maul arched against the sensation and couldn’t quite disguise the catch in his breath. ‘It. You’re not. There is not much pain,’ Maul said levelly. 

Kylo dug his fingers into Maul’s waist. ‘Sorry. Do you need more?’ he asked.

‘No. The fear is enough,’ here Maul tugged on Hux’s hair, ‘and the hate. ’ He hesitated for a moment, but then his eyes slid closed. ‘This is… enjoyable.’

Hux made a derisive noise around Maul’s cock, but Kylo’s mouth went dry. He swallowed. ‘Good, that’s good,’ Kylo said. ‘If it’s enough, I mean.’

Maul gave a low groan in agreement. His hand was definitely stroking over Hux’s head now. The movement seemed surprisingly gentle. ‘Not bad, for a Force-null.’

Kylo laughed softly and continued tracing the paths of Maul’s tattoos with his hands and lips. Maul gave another soft sound of satisfaction. His free hand came up to tangle in Kylo’s hair to hold him in place. Kylo ran one hand over Maul’s head, running the tips of his fingers over a horn. He’d been curious about them since Maul’s manifestation. They felt hard, but the tips were blunter than he’d have guessed. Maul made a low rumbling sound when Kylo thumbed a horn and his hips bucked up against Hux’s mouth. Hux maintained focus right up until Maul’s back arched again as his pleasure crested.

Hux pulled back with an indignant noise. His hand still worked over Maul’s cock, but he spat violently to one side. ‘A warning would have been nice!’

Maul blinked at him. Then he grinned sharply, baring his teeth. ‘A problem for the Force-null.’

Hux glared at him. Kylo could feel the anger running through the Force. Maul probably could too, considering the contented sigh he gave. He moved up the bed, possibly to get closer to the source of rage, or perhaps to give Kylo enough space to actually sit on the bed.

‘Now that you two are done…’ Kylo trailed off, giving Hux a meaningful look. Maul turned around and immediately moved forward, but Hux flung an arm out across his chest to hold him back. Maul glared at him and growled in the back of his throat. Hux ignored him.

‘Actually, Ren, I think you should pleasure yourself,’ Hux said.

‘What?’ Kylo exclaimed. 

‘I’d like to watch, and I assume your… guest would appreciate it too.’

Kylo’s heart rate sped up at Hux’s sardonic expression and his cruel smile. ‘You can’t make me do anything,’ Kylo said.

Hux raised an eyebrow. ‘Can’t I?’ he asked softly. 

Something about Hux’s self-assured malice made his blood run hot. The weight of both Hux and Maul’s impassive gazes wasn’t helping either. Kylo snarled, but after a moment he palmed his cock. Pushing at Hux wouldn’t get him off as quickly as playing along, and the wait had already tested the edges of his patience. Kylo’s eyes wanted to slide shut as he began touching himself in earnest, but he wasn’t going to break eye contact with Hux first. 

‘You look good like this, Ren,’ Hux murmured. 

Kylo bit back a groan and quickened his pace. Maul was looking between the two of them with a bemused expression. His gaze finally settled on Kylo. ‘You are angry. Let me use it?’

Kylo nodded jerkily, not trusting his voice. Maul leaned over and tentatively placed a hand on Kylo’s thigh. His nails dug in, just slightly, and Kylo doubted it was a conscious action. Maul’s breathing had evened out into something approaching a meditative state and Kylo could feel him drawing on his frustration and his anger at Hux. It was an odd sensation, not quite invasive, but certainly noticeable.

Maul’s gaze slid over to Hux. ‘You too,’ he said.

Hux sneered again, but didn’t voice a refusal. Maul placed his other hand on Hux’s thigh. This time when he dug in, Kylo was sure it was intentional. Going by Hux’s glare, he was probably thinking the same thing. Maul closed his eyes and he groaned low in his throat. The sound was practically a rumble and Kylo’s grip on himself tightened. 

Maul’s hand was hot on his thigh. Hux’s expression was caught between indignation and that deep hunger he exuded whenever they were in bed like this. Kylo could feel the pleasure building and his throat worked as he swallowed the sounds he desperately wanted to make. He wouldn’t give Hux the satisfaction.

‘Give it up, Ren,’ Hux purred. ‘I want to see that moment where you fall apart.’

Kylo tried to growl in response to that, by the sound came out higher and much less threatening. The low laugh Hux gave in response sent a shiver through him and the heat and pleasure building inside him peaked. His body tensed and he spilled over his hand, uttering a low shout.

Maul’s grip had tightened against his thigh. It was grounding. Kylo blinked and wiped his hand on the covers, smirking slightly at Hux’s grimace. His breathing started to even out and he felt the beginnings of lassitude coil through his limbs. Maul was watching him with some indefinable look in his eyes. ‘Are you well?’ he asked.

Kylo smiled lazily. ‘Yes, very well. You?’

‘I think so.’ Maul stood and drew on a few of his garments. Then, with a flick of his fingers, he summoned his saberstaff and clipped it to his belt. He flexed his hand and nodded to himself. Kylo felt a shift in the dark side as Maul drew on the Force, testing the boundaries of his renewed power.

In one fluid movement, Maul turned back to Kylo and clenched his fist. A band of pure Force-energy tightened around Kylo’s throat. His eyes widened in surprise, even as his hands rose futilely to his throat. Maul dragged him bodily off his bed and slammed him against a wall, still using the Force. The pressure around Kylo’s throat never faltered.

Kylo panicked and started clawing at his neck. He knew the only way to break the hold was by drawing on the Force, but even with terror twisting through his body, he couldn’t seem to reach the wellspring of his power. Maul watched impassively as he struggled for breath and his blood pounded in his ears. Kylo should have been able to break a hold. Breaking was easier than creating with the dark side. Just how strong was Darth Maul?

Even caught in the midst of fear and pain, he registered Hux swearing and grabbing for his blaster. Maul didn’t even break eye contact as he froze Hux with a contemptuous gesture. Kylo’s vision started to darken around the edges and he would have screamed if he’d had the air. He was going to die like this, at the will of a Sith lord. 

Then at the last moment, before he could lose consciousness, Maul released him. No longer supported by the Force, Kylo fell to the floor, coughing and gasping for air. His breaths came like sobs as he rose to his hands and knees. He stared up at Maul with a mix of terror and fury. Maul looked down at him dispassionately. ‘Now we know who is stronger,’ he said. ‘You may ask your questions, my apprentice.’


	2. Chapter 2

‘What?’ Kylo managed to gasp.

‘You have questions. Ask them,’ Maul said.

‘You, you called me your apprentice.’

Maul remained silent. Kylo tried again. ‘ _Why_ did you call me your apprentice?’

‘Because you have not been trained properly. You lack discipline and control, but you have the potential to become strong.’

Kylo tried to ignore the warmth that spread through him at the way Maul thought he had potential. ‘I should have been able to break your hold,’ he said after a moment.

‘Yes. You have power and the task was not difficult. But without discipline your power is diffuse, unfocused. That is what makes you weak.’

Kylo nodded. It all made sense now. It wasn’t the call of the light that was weakening him or a lack of conviction. No, this was something he’d be able to fix. All he needed was the right kind of guidance. ‘And you’ll teach me?’ He couldn’t help the slight note of pleading that entered his tone.

‘Yes. As my master taught me.’

Kylo’s heart pounded in his chest. To be taught by the student of Darth Sidious, in the very style that had produced Darth Vader himself. ‘I understand.’ Kylo paused for a moment. ‘My master.’

Darth Maul nodded at the address. ‘Good.’

Maul turned away and walked up to Hux’s frozen form. Kylo had forgotten he was still in there during his panic. Maul stopped a very short distance from Hux and tilted his head to one side, considering.

‘Are you going to behave now, Force-null?’ Maul asked. He twitched his fingers to fractionally relieve the freeze.

Hux gave an incremental nod, which was as much as Maul’s power allowed him to do.

‘Good.’ Maul waved a hand and turned back to Kylo.

Hux wisely put away his blaster down, slowly and carefully. Then he started pulling on his clothes. He kept watching Maul out of the corner of his eye.

‘I do not know much of this place,’ Maul said. ‘For now you should keep my presence a secret. I will explore and find somewhere to base myself. I will find you when it is time for your first lesson.’ 

With that, he keyed the door and left. Kylo stared after him. When the door closed he stood up to make his way to his ’fresher. Hux was watching him with barely disguised fury. 

‘What the kriff do you think you’re doing?’ he asked.

Kylo folded his arms, conscious of the fact that he was still naked, while Hux was fully dressed. ‘I’m learning from a true Sith lord. You heard him, my power lacks direction and focus.’

‘That creature is dangerous. How does he expect to avoid attention while wandering around the _Finalizer_?’

Kylo raised an eyebrow. ‘He’s a Sith lord. Even if people are wandering around at this hour, he’ll be able to sense and avoid them.’

‘Fine, but if _you’re_ able to sense him, then I can send some ’troopers to his location to neutralise him.’

Kylo sneered. ‘He’s a Sith lord. Your ’troopers won’t be able to touch him.’

‘I didn’t mean sending a squad. I have an army I could send after him,’ Hux said.

Anger swept over Kylo, hot and dark. ‘If you send an army after him, you’ll lose it. It would take at least half the soldiers on this ship to take me down in these close quarters and he’s _much_ stronger than me. You’re going to keep his presence secret and not interfere in my training.’ Here Kylo stepped forward until he could stare Hux in the eye. ‘I could always _make_ you.’

Nothing in Hux’s expression betrayed him, but Kylo could feel the brief burst of fear through the Force. ‘Fine. Have it your way, but I’m staying out of this whole situation. Don’t comm me again, Ren, because I am done with your mystic Force nonsense.’

Kylo folded his arms. ‘That won’t be a problem. You can see yourself out, general.’

Hux glared one last time and made his way to the door. Kylo felt his presence receding and waited until it had fully tailed off before he went to the ’fresher. Nothing that Hux did mattered. What would some pathetic Force-null know of the dark side anyway? 

///

Maul came to Kylo’s quarters the next evening. He’d been undetectable during his approach and Kylo started when he received the request for entry. The door opened with a wave of Kylo’s hand and Maul crossed the threshold. Kylo inclined his head. ‘Master.’

Maul returned the gesture. ‘Apprentice. Your first few lessons will involve control techniques. We will get to combat later when I am satisfied by your progress.’

Kylo nodded.

‘Sit,’ Maul instructed. ‘I want to see you meditate.’

Kylo did as he was told, sitting and folding his legs beneath himself. He drew in some breaths and started focusing on his emotions. As usual, the constant simmer of his rage and hate responded quickly, letting him reach out to the dark side. His eyes slid shut as the Force rose in his awareness. He could sense Maul now. He was circling Kylo and watching him closely.

Maul made a contemplative noise. ‘You reach fast, but not well. Do not surround yourself with your emotions, focus them. Think of the hate as blade and sharpen it on your anger. Hone it until it is tight and strong.’

Kylo frowned and tried to do as Maul instructed. He’d never received this kind of advice before. Maul stopped pacing and stood behind him.

‘Hm, too advanced perhaps. The emotions are weak and diffuse. You lack the proper foundations for them, I think.’

‘What do you mean, master?’ Kylo asked.

Kylo felt Maul drawing deeply on the dark side. It was like feeling a cavern open beneath a dark sea. Power rushed into Maul until he was nearly brimming with it. With no warning at all, Maul channelled it. Kylo screamed as sudden pain overwhelmed his senses. His eyes flew open and he convulsed as dark side energies tore into him. All he could see were jagged incandescent streaks flowing into his flesh from Maul’s hands. Force lightning. He’d heard of it, never seen it and never dreamt that could feel like this. His body twisted and writhed, every nerve ending was screaming agony and unresponsive to anything but the pain. 

It stopped. Maul made a disapproving sound. ‘Focus. Use the pain. It is a solid foundation from which you can channel dark power.’

Tears gathered in Kylo’s eyes and his breath shook on every exhale. He had never felt pain like that. Maul raised his hands, with his fingers crooked. Kylo’s entire body spasmed before Maul had even drawn a single thread of dark side power. ‘No, please, don’t! I can do it, let me try! Please!’

Maul tilted his head without lowering his hands. ‘Of course you may try. Show me.’ Then he channelled more lightning. Kylo’s mind blanked under the assault of pain. The screams that tore from his throat sounded like they were coming from someone else, far away.

The next thing he registered was a warm hand on his shoulder. He flinched violently, but the grip was gentle and after a moment he felt the odd sensation of Maul drawing on his fear and pain. It didn’t lessen the sensations at all, but the feeling of another presence wound through his body.

‘Please no! No more, master, please,’ Kylo sobbed.

‘There is no mercy for a Sith, apprentice,’ Maul explained patiently. ‘We learn power and become strong. If you want it to stop, you must focus.’ Maul’s hand left his shoulder. ‘Unfortunately I cannot sustain such a use of the Force as I am. Even drawing on your emotions is not enough.’

Maul stood back up and seemed to think for a long time. Kylo desperately tried to fit himself back together, past the pain and his terror.

‘I passed rooms used for such things deep in this ship.’

Kylo blinked. ‘Interrogation,’ he croaked. ‘It’s for prisoners.’ 

Maul nodded. ‘It will serve. Bring your Force-null and meet me there. I have an idea.’

///

Hux started when his comm pinged. It was a message from Ren. _Meet me in Interrogation, cell 6B_

Hux stared at the message with a certain degree of incredulity. _No,_ he replied and set his communicator to block any further messages from Ren. It was late in the night-shift again and he highly doubted this was about a sanctioned interrogation. More likely Ren and the Sith were down there practicing dark side techniques on prisoners. Kriff knew why Ren wanted him there. Hux put the incident out of his mind and went back to his reports. 

He was disturbed again before he’d even finished the page. His door squealed open at what had to have been Ren’s influence. Hux stood up from his desk and turned, his fists clenching at his sides. ‘Just what do you think you’re doing, Ren!’ he demanded.

Ren came into his room slowly and the door snapped shut behind him as he released it. He wasn’t wearing his helmet and his expression wasn’t one Hux had ever seen before. A muscle under his left eye gave an occasional twitch. In fact, Ren was looking pretty twitchy overall.

‘What’s this about?’ Hux repeated. His voice was still hard, but he wasn’t actually shouting this time.

Ren wet his lips. ‘I need you in Interrogation. My master wills it.’

‘Have I given you any reason to think that I care about what your so-called master wants? You serve the Supreme Leader, in case you’d forgotten.’

Ren shook his head, but it seemed more like he was clearing his head rather than disagreeing. ‘You’ve got to come with me. I can drag you there if I need to.’

‘What? You’d drag me the length of this entire ship? Really, Ren,’ Hux scoffed.

Ren took a step forward. His expression was tight and somehow more dangerous than his usual melodramatic anger. ‘Do not doubt my dedication. You are coming with me, one way or another.’

Part of the reason Hux had risen so high was by knowing when to pick his battles. Ren was more than capable of following through on his threat. Hux sneered. ‘If it means so much to you having an audience for your little Force lessons, then I suppose I can spare a moment.’

‘Thank you,’ Ren said. There was an odd note of relief in his voice and Hux tried to remember if he’d ever heard Ren thank anyone for anything. This whole situation felt off.

Ren was silent as they walked toward Interrogation. They didn’t pass anyone on the way and Hux wondered if it had more to do with the hour or some intent on Ren’s part. Ren had only become twitchier as they neared their destination.

As expected, the Sith, Maul, was standing in the middle of the cell when they arrived. His expression was impossible to read. Ren flinched when Maul’s gaze passed over him. Hux stood his ground as Maul turned to face him. Something had changed after they’d had sex and Hux suspected that it wasn’t a good idea to antagonise Maul again.

‘What do you know of the implements here and torture techniques?’ Maul asked him.

Hux blinked. ‘Not much. We have dedicated personnel for such things.’

Maul frowned. ‘A shame.’ He turned back to Ren. ‘Shed your robes. Then go over to that wall, and place your palms on it. Set your stance and don’t move until you’re told.’

Ren nodded and did as he was instructed. He didn’t meet anyone’s eyes as he stripped to the waist, though Hux tried to catch his gaze. 

Maul stalked over to a tray of torture implements. As far as Hux could tell, half of them were just there for intimidation value. No one would seriously work on a prisoner with a large rusty blade when a fine scalpel, or better yet, a syringe with a cocktail of disinhibitors or pain-amplifiers would be so much more efficient. Maul, of course, selected an archaic looking whip. Maybe a flair for melodrama was something inherent to every Force-sensitive. 

Maul walked up to Hux and proffered the whip. ‘An intuitive weapon and one that will not cause undue damage.’ He gestured toward Ren. ‘You will hurt him until I tell you to stop. Focus on pain and not damage. Do you understand?’

‘This is ridiculous!’ Hux snapped. ‘It may have escaped your attention, but I have a ship to run.’

Maul casually backhanded him across the face. There was a lot of power behind the strike. ‘That is not what I asked. Do you understand?’ he said, in the exact same mild tones.

Hux’s blaster-hand twitched, but the memory of Maul freezing him with nothing more than a gesture stopped him from repeating that mistake. He looked over at Ren, but he hadn’t moved at all. ‘I understand,’ he gritted out.

Maul didn’t seem at all perturbed by the obvious lack of respect. He walked up to Ren and leaned against the wall beside him. ‘I was surprised at your lack of focus with large pain. This should work better. The Force-null will hurt you and I will guide you through it. Pay attention to my Force signature and my instructions.’ 

Ren nodded, but didn’t speak. Hux gripped the handle of the whip and stared at the expanse of Ren’s naked back. It wasn’t as if he’d never hurt him before. When they slept together, both of them tended to acquire an assortment of bruises and scratches and even the occasional lesion. This wasn’t _that_ different. Still Hux hesitated.

‘Just do it already,’ Ren snapped at him.

‘Quiet, apprentice. Focus,’ Maul admonished gently.

Hux tightened his grip and brought the whip down across Ren’s back. A thin white line appeared, gradually flushing to pinkish-red. Ren hissed between his teeth, but didn’t move.

‘Focus,’ came Maul’s soft voice. ‘You must learn to weave the pain or you will not grow strong. Even out your breaths and meditate. Do not get distracted.’

Hux struck again. He repeated the process four or five times. The blows weren’t that hard and it was almost amusing to be able to take out a bit of frustration on Ren. After all, he caused no small amount of trouble to the smooth running of the _Finalizer_.

‘Better,’ Maul said. ‘Hit harder now.’ Hux shot a look at the Sith and hit a bit harder. Maul made an irritated sound. ‘No. Hit very hard, as you would an enemy.’

Hux put a bit more force behind the next strike.

‘Do I need to show you what I mean?’ Maul asked. ‘Strike with your full strength.’

Hux hesitated. ‘If I hit any harder than this I’m going to draw blood,’ he said.

‘Yes. Do it,’ Maul commanded.

Hux took a deep breath and struck out. The whip cracked against Ren’s back and drew a thin line of blood. Ren cried out and his hands clenched into fists against the wall.

‘Continue,’ said Maul coldly.

Hux hesitated one final moment and then struck. Maul was whispering instructions to Ren, his voice occasionally rising as it competed with the sound of the whip or of Ren’s pained noises. Hux slowed again when Ren started trembling. His back was criss-crossed with marks and at least half of them were bleeding.

‘If I have to instruct you one more time, Force-null, I will make you regret it. You will continue until I say to stop,’ Maul growled.

Hux shivered. He fell into a rhythm and did his best not to look at the damage he was doing to Ren’s back or listen to his screams. Eventually Ren started begging. An ugly sort of gratitude swept over Hux at the fact that he was begging Maul and not him. It was easier to tune it out. Maul placed a hand on the back of Ren’s neck and hissed further instruction over the sound of Ren’s pleas. When Ren quieted back down, Hux stopped again. 

‘With all due respect, sir,’ he began, ‘if I go much further he’s going to collapse. The damage is substantial and he needs to be taken to Medical.’

Maul stepped away from the wall and walked over to Hux. ‘You think you know of such things?’

Hux’s palm sweated around his hold on the whip and his pulse pounded in his ears. ‘I think I have a better frame of reference for knowing what a human body is capable of taking.’

Maul stared at Hux for a long moment. Hux wondered if the Sith was in his head. There was no feeling like Ren’s occasional clumsy intrusion, but that might not have meant much.

Maul nodded slowly and walked over to where Ren was still pressed against the wall. He placed a hand on his shoulder and held it there for a time. ‘Humans are fragile,’ he said, ‘and you should be better at pain, apprentice. This will slow your progress.’

Ren nodded, though Hux wondered how aware he really was at this point.

‘Take my apprentice to Medical,’ Maul said to Hux. ‘Both your technique and his will need refinement.’ 

Hux swallowed his protests about having neither the time nor the inclination to participate in this type of Force nonsense. He set aside the whip and went over to Ren. At least it looked like he was capable of standing under his own power. Hux bundled up Ren’s robes under one arm and then manoeuvred him until he was half-draped across his shoulder. Hopefully the blood wouldn’t soak into Hux’s uniform at this angle. Ren made a small noise of protest, but didn’t resist Hux’s efforts. Maul watched them leave the room. Hux could almost feel the weight of that gaze along his back.

They didn’t encounter anyone on their way to Medical. It was fortunate because Hux had no idea how he’d explain Ren’s condition to the curious observer. There were also no medical personnel around the injury-treatment section of the medbay. It had been a while since anyone on the _Finalizer_ had seen ground combat. A medical droid came over as soon as Hux deposited Ren face-down on one of the beds. His back was badly torn up. Hux tried not to feel guilty. 

Ren hissed when the droid started treating his wounds with bacta and other healing gels. One of his arms waved around, seeking to grasp at the sheer surface of the crisp sheets. Hux took Ren’s hand in his own, not thinking too much about the action.

‘Thank you for the help, Hux,’ Ren said. His voice was quite slurred. 

Hux snorted. ‘Oh, you’re very welcome.’ Ren squeezed his fingers. Hux frowned.

‘Darth Maul is disappointed in me.’

Hux didn’t really know what to say to that. In fact, he had no idea why Ren was tolerating any of this instead of having one of his habitual tantrums. ‘Alright,’ said Hux.

The droid finished its work and went off to do whatever it was droids did when they weren’t needed. Ren was slipping into sleep, the painkillers or other sedatives doing their work. Hux disentangled their fingers. Ren reached out blindly. ‘Stay,’ he said.

Hux frowned again. ‘I have my own duties to attend to. In case you forgot, you’re the one who dragged me away from my reports.’

‘It’s deep night-shift. You should sleep. Sleep here. Please?’ Ren mumbled indistinctly.

Hux sighed. Sleeping with Ren in the first place had probably been a bad idea. He really only had himself to blame. ‘Fine. I am not making a habit of this, though. Of any of this.’

Ren didn’t reply, but a smile crept across his face. It was unsettling. 

///

‘Master, can we please move on to lightsaber training?’ Kylo asked. ‘All you seem to teach me is meditation.’ Kylo left out the part about how every session on meditation seemed to involve incredible amounts of pain. He didn’t want to seem weak. There were severe penalties for appearing weak.

‘You are barely ready to handle such a weapon. You need a foundation of pain and fear to build your connection to the dark side. It is the only way,’ Maul said.

Kylo’s fists clenched. ‘I’m not a child! All of your training is about pain. There are other dark emotions!’

Maul simply nodded in the face of Kylo’s rage. ‘Emotions that you are not ready to harness. This is the way of Sith training. Do you need another demonstration of my power as compared to yours?’

Kylo’s anger drained away and cold fear washed over him. ‘No, master.’

‘Call your Force-null. The process may feel slow, but you are getting stronger and your focus is sharpening.’ 

Kylo nodded and messaged Hux. He tried to ignore the flash of elation Maul’s praise gave him. Bringing in Hux was practically a routine now. It had been weeks since Maul had used Force lightning on him, which Kylo was grateful for. These days both Hux and Maul seemed to have worked out how much pain his body could take and how much would send him to Medical. One of the refinements for the lessons was the inclusion of restraints. It made it easier for Kylo to focus when he didn’t have to fight his body’s instinct to escape the pain. 

As Hux entered the room, Kylo went to stand beneath the chains that were affixed to the wall of the cell. A brief connection to the Force allowed Kylo to close the cuffs around his wrists without fumbling. In this position, his arms were suspended above his head hung and his toes could just reach the floor. It made the muscles of his shoulders, arms, and neck ache almost as badly as the strikes from the whip. He was also meant to be using _that_ pain.

Crack.

Kylo uttered a hoarse cry at the first flick of the whip across his back. No hesitation from Hux. He didn’t try pulling his strikes anymore, but Kylo didn’t blame him. As a Force-null, Hux’s mental shielding was rudimentary at best, and Kylo’s new master would have been able to sense any hint of defiance. 

A rivulet of blood trickled down between Kylo’s shoulder blades. He let himself embrace the pain and reached through it to touch the dark side. For a second he grasped the thin threads of power.

Crack.

The next blow from the whip shattered his concentration. Kylo hissed between his teeth and restarted the process of harnessing the fresh pain.

‘Good, my apprentice. You are improving,’ Darth Maul said. He was sitting cross-legged on the floor of the room, off to one side. Kylo couldn’t see him, but his presence in the Force was tightly concentrated, suggesting he was at least partially meditative.

‘Your channelling should have been better at this stage. Your other master, this “Snoke”, was not training you well. A master who speaks of power and destiny, but not of control and discipline...’ Maul cut himself off with a derisive noise. ‘You are fortunate to have brought me here.’

‘Yes, master,’ Kylo managed to grit out between Hux’s strikes. 

When Maul spoke again, his amusement was audible. ‘Your Force-null likes the sound of the title on your lips. If you ever needed to please him, that would be how.’

Kylo scowled at the wall in front of his face. He didn’t need his master’s counsel to know that for all his protests, a part of Hux was enjoying this. Ever since Darth Maul’s initial terrifying display of power, Hux had been nothing but impeccably polite to the Sith, in stark contrast to his earlier attitude. Luckily for him, Maul didn’t seem to care particularly what some Force-null military general did. Oh no, only Kylo himself rated this kind of attention. 

‘Enough,’ Maul said after an indeterminate length of time. Kylo had partially succumbed to the rhythm of the pain and he started at the interruption. Maul’s command had been was quiet, but Hux ceased immediately. Kylo wondered if he saluted too. Maul rose to his feet and padded forward until he was standing directly behind Kylo. Kylo tried not to flinch where he hung. As humiliating as it was to be hurt by Hux, it was far worse whenever Maul decided to take that aspect of Kylo’s training into his own hands.

Maul placed a hand on Kylo’s shoulder. His nails dug in and Kylo was nearly certain that he chose the location so that he could feel the brush of Kylo’s hair against the back of his knuckles. The familiar wrenching sensation swept through Kylo’s body as Maul drew off some of his pain and hate as fuel.

Darth Maul gave a nearly inaudible sigh and stepped back. ‘That is enough for today. Eat, sleep and practice the meditation I showed you.’ Without another word Maul swept out of the room, leaving Kylo alone with Hux.

Kylo closed his eyes and pushed his pain-wracked body to reach out to the Force one last time. His hate and rage flared up as an extension of his pain and a bare twitch of his fingers was all it took to loose the chains and free himself. He hissed as he lowered his arms, wincing as blood-flow returned and his skin pulled tight against the cuts across his back.

Hux stepped forward. ‘Can you stand your robes, Kylo, or would you rather head back to your rooms like this?’ he asked quietly. That was something else that had gradually shifted between him and Hux. Kylo wondered if it was guilt or something more useful.

‘I’ll get dressed.’

Hux nodded and helped him with the bulky garments. It was better to deal with the pain of them rubbing against his wounds than risk anyone seeing him like this as he left Interrogation. 

Hux led the way back. Kylo was grateful that he stayed silent while they were in the public corridors. 

Kylo keyed himself into his rooms and immediately started shedding his clothes. Hopefully the blood hadn’t had time to dry and cause the fabric to stick to his wounds. He couldn’t hold back the occasional whimper. Hux wordlessly retrieved the first-aid kit. Kylo sat on the edge of his bed and bowed his head to give Hux better access to the skin across his shoulders. The first touch of bacta stung, but the pain soon eased.

‘I’ve been considering our little problem, and I think I may have a solution,’ Hux said into the silence.

‘What?’ said Kylo. 

‘If we can reposition his meditation room, or wherever it is he lurks when he’s done torturing you, that will be the first step. If we get him to a room close to the outer hull, a small explosive device could cause an unexpected breach. The ship’s been designed to contain such events, but not before it would kill whatever flesh is sustaining him or, better yet, eject him into space. I don’t know where’s he’s based, but I’m sure I could find out.’

Kylo blinked. ‘You’re talking about killing Darth Maul?’

‘Obviously.’

Kylo twisted around until he could meet Hux’s gaze. ‘I’m not going to let you kill my master.’

Hux stared. ‘Are you _insane_? Your master is the Supreme Leader, not some undead Sith Lord who tortures you under the guise of training!’ Hux was nearly shouting.

‘Exactly. Snoke never pushed me to achieve my potential. He only told me what I wanted to hear to draw me away from the Light and into his power. I thank him for getting me away from Jedi corruption, but he is no Sith. I am stronger than I have ever been and my power is growing exponentially. I am grateful for Darth Maul and his teachings.’

‘You are insane,’ Hux said simply. ‘He’s broken your kriffing mind.’

‘He hasn’t.’ Kylo raised a hand and Hux’s blaster rose from its place on his hip and hovered between them. With a slight twitch of his fingers, Kylo dismantled the blaster into its component parts until each piece was hovering alone. Another twitch sent them spinning in an elegant dance. Finally he clenched his fist so that the pieces came together again and the blaster hovered, once more whole and complete.

Hux stared at the display. ‘Take it,’ Kylo said. ‘It will still be able to fire.’ Hux did so, but resolved to test it at the shooting range at the earliest opportunity. ‘Even a week ago I wouldn’t have had the control to do that and I’ve come to realise that Snoke wouldn’t even care.’

‘So what?’ Hux demanded. ‘Are you planning to carry on with two masters or are you going to turn your back on the Supreme Leader and the First Order? Are you going to turn your back on everything we’ve worked for? Everything _I_ have worked for?’

Kylo snorted. ‘For now I’ll bide my time and gather my strength. Then I will kill both my masters. Snoke’s death will be a formality. Darth Maul’s death will be a fulfilment of my destiny. I will kill him in the proud traditions of the Sith. He would expect nothing less from me,’ Kylo said.

Hux rolled his eyes. ‘And what about the First Order?’

Kylo paused as he gathered his thoughts. He’d been thinking about this for a long time now. ‘Even Darth Sidious needed an Empire.’

‘So you’ll style yourself after the Empire’s legacy. You’ll replace the Supreme Leader after you kill him and Maul.’

Kylo looked down at his hands. ‘No. I don’t want to follow in Sidious’ footsteps. I was born to follow the legacy of my grandfather. You’ve been very helpful during my training.’

Hux blinked at the abrupt change of topic. ‘What?’ Kylo could feel Hux’s conflict. Having a perceived common adversary had bound Hux to him in some indefinable way. It could be useful.

‘Yes,’ Kylo continued, ‘and I’m grateful for it. I also know your ambitions and what your plans involve.’

‘Do you now?’ Hux asked in a carefully off-handed tone. He couldn’t disguise his feelings however.

‘Unlike you, I never had the desire to rule. My grandfather deferred to a better ruler. I seek to do the same.’

Hux swallowed. ‘What exactly are you offering?’

Oddly, Kylo didn’t feel the need to make a grand gesture. This was too important. ‘When I have slaughtered my masters, I will rebuild the Sith Order over their bones. You will rule the First Order and I will help you bring the galaxy to heel.’

Hux was struggling to hide his reaction. ‘Why would you offer me this?’

‘Because you have been helpful and you’re used to command. If my past life has taught me nothing else, it’s that the Jedi Order will always be a threat, no matter how hard they are ground into the dust. I need someone I trust to watch my back while I rebuild the Sith.’

‘And you trust me?’ Hux scoffed.

‘I trust a Force-null in the way I will never trust an apprentice,’ Kylo pointed out.

‘You really have no one else, do you?’ Hux marvelled.

‘Do you, general?’ Kylo asked.

Hux’s expression was answer enough. He didn’t resist when Kylo pulled him in for a kiss. For once, neither of them tried to bite. Kylo’s eyes slid shut as he enjoyed the feel of Hux’s soft lips against his own. He uttered a low moan at the first touch of Hux’s tongue.

Hux drew back. ‘You are in no condition to fuck.’

‘I’m perfectly capable,’ he retorted.

Hux rolled his eyes and placed a gentle hand against Kylo’s chest. ‘Lie down on your side. Don’t aggravate your wounds.’

‘You can’t make me do anything,’ Kylo said.

Hux gave a fond laugh. ‘Idiot. I’m going along with this, but we’re both going to be sensible about all of this. Not that I’d expect you to understand the concept.’

Kylo gave a half-hearted snarl that faded into a smile. He lay back, being careful to prevent his healing wounds from pressing against the sheets. Hux pulled off his clothes and Kylo followed each movement closely. Then Hux lay down beside him so they were face to face. Kylo leaned in to start kissing again. Everything felt warm and heavy, in stark contrast to the near-continual pain that made up Kylo’s day-to-day existence. It meant he wasn’t the least bit self-conscious about the breathy noises he was making, and when Hux slid a hand down his body to wrap around his cock, Kylo didn’t hold back a long groan.

‘I don’t think I’ve ever felt you so responsive,’ Hux said, with something suspiciously reverent in his tone.

Kylo nuzzled his head underneath Hux’s jaw and pressed a kiss against his pulse. ‘Mm, probably. Please keep going, ’s nice,’ he murmured.

Hux’s grip tightened fractionally and he exhaled very carefully. Kylo could feel the way the ‘please’ had affected him. The reflected gratification was nice too. He lifted a hand to wrap around Hux’s cock. The head was already damp with precome and after a few languid strokes, Hux began moving into his grip and breathing more heavily.

Pleasure rose in Kylo like a tide. It wasn’t the usual sharp crest, but something more mellow and inexorable. He muffled a low cry against Hux’s shoulder as he came, shuddering as Hux continued to stroke him even through his orgasm. 

His own hand had stilled, but now the movement of Hux’s hips had gone from a slow roll to something more frantic. Kylo instinctively tightened his grip, feeling a small thrill has Hux gasped and started fucking his hand in earnest. 

It was suddenly very important to him for Hux to come. There was something about this all, the sharing of his plan, the treating of wounds, and now this mingling of pleasure. In this hazy state, Kylo’s mind was connecting images of shared destiny, of bonds forged of Force threads and blood. There was a pact between them now and Kylo wanted it sealed. 

‘That’s it, Hux. I want to feel you come. Do it.’

Hux made a noise that clearly wanted to be a whimper, but he clenched his jaw to stifle it. His hips thrust, once, twice, and then Kylo felt him spill over his hand. It may have been the dizziness of the pain followed by the endorphins, but Kylo would have sworn that something realigned in the Force. He smiled and wiped his hand on the far corner of his bed sheets. Hux was panting and his pupils were blown wide.

‘That was… I felt something. What did you do, Kylo?’

‘I would hope you felt something,’ Kylo replied.

Hux tried to glare at him. Some of the impact was lost by his dishevelled state. ‘You know what I mean.’

Kylo kissed him softly. ‘My fate and yours. We’re going to take over this galaxy, you and I.’

Hux snorted, but shifted closer as Kylo drew him in. ‘I should have known better than to expect anything more than cryptic nonsense from you.’

Kylo smiled again and enjoyed the feeling of Hux’s warm breath against his skin. It was easy to drift off to sleep like this.


	3. Chapter 3

The next session with Maul had involved more blood than usual. It hadn’t been enough to send Kylo to Medical, but there were consequences. Kylo lay on his bed, carefully positioned to avoid any part of the covers touching his wounds. Despite his precautions, the lesions felt hot and swollen. The pain ebbed and flowed, but also seemed to have taken up residence in both his head and muscles. Kylo could tell he wasn’t thinking clearly, either. 

Time seemed to expand and contract like something malleable. Ideas occurred to Kylo, like confronting Snoke about Maul or finding Hux and teaching him about the dark side. Maybe it would be better to go to Medical or maybe take a ship out to hunt the Resistance. The fact that he couldn’t really move right now saved him from making a decision. It would be a lot easier if someone could come and tell him what to do.

Kylo started awake. He hadn’t even realised that he’d been sleeping. Maul was standing by his bedside and watching him silently. Kylo tried to greet his master, but the sound came out as a croak. Maul made a displeased sound. He left. Kylo stared at the wall. An indeterminable time later Maul appeared again, holding a cup. He pressed it against Kylo’s lips. It was water. Kylo drank deeply. Maul placed something in Kylo’s hand. It was his comm.

‘Call your Force-null,’ Maul instructed.

Kylo blinked up at him. ‘I can’t train like this, master.’

‘Yes,’ Maul agreed.

Kylo blinked again and decided that arguing wasn’t a good idea. He hoped his message was coherent.

Time bled again. Kylo blinked. Maul stood up (had he been sitting?) and went to the door. Hux came in. Kylo tried to greet him, but mostly he just let his hand shift back and forth across his sheets.

Hux frowned, first at Kylo and then at Maul. ‘He’s feverish.’

‘Yes, he needs all of his pain and dark emotions to help him fight.’ With no further warning Darth Maul drew on the dark side. Kylo had barely registered the changes in the Force before Maul attacked Hux with lightning. Hux fell to the floor, screaming and convulsing with the pain. Kylo struggled to even sit up. ‘Master, please,’ he croaked. ‘He’s a Force-null, he can’t take that kind of pain!’ 

Maul stopped. He looked back at Kylo over his shoulder. ‘I know. That alone will be enough to draw off what I need from him. Any more would not be worth the expenditure of Force-energy.’

Maul walked up to where Hux was lying on the floor and panting. He knelt down to place a hand against the side of Hux’s face. Hux flinched and gave a ragged plea for mercy. Kylo noted the tears on Hux’s face with a strange detachment. It was odd to feel Maul draw on someone else’s emotions. The patterns it created in the energy of the dark side were almost pretty. Kylo wondered why he’d never noticed it before.

‘Get my apprentice some help,’ Maul said to Hux when he’d drawn his fill. He waited until Hux nodded before standing again. He turned back to Kylo. ‘You do not know how to fight infection.’

It wasn’t a question. Kylo nodded anyway.

Maul made a disapproving sound. ‘A new lesson for when you recover. It will be useful to you.’ He turned to leave, but stopped when he reached the door. ‘Be careful with who you decide to care about, apprentice. Force-nulls are weak.’

Kylo felt a wave of cold wash over him even through the fever. He wondered if that was a threat.

///

Hux put down the whip when Maul commanded it. Kylo’s back was criss-crossed with fresh, bleeding wounds, but they lacked the depth of some of Hux’s earlier work. He found the sight vaguely nauseating. He told himself it had nothing to do with guilt.

‘Good, apprentice. You held the threads of the Force together through most of that,’ said Maul.

‘Thank you, master,’ Kylo croaked. Hux’s lip twitched, but he held his expression blank.

Maul loosed Kylo’s restraints with a gesture and motioned for him to sit on the floor. Kylo settled into an uncomfortable looking pose and Maul sat down opposite him in much the same position.

‘Now, you will learn to keep your wounds clean. This is something else you should have already known.’

Kylo nodded and closed his eyes. Hux knew from experience that Kylo could sit like that for hours at a time.

‘Yes,’ Maul said. ‘Focus your attention to the wounds and the surface of your cuts. What do you feel?’

Kylo did nothing but breath for several minutes. ‘My blood, my own resonance in the Force.’

Maul made a sound. ‘No. Tune yourself out, focus on other signatures. What else is present in the Force?’

Kylo’s brow furrowed but his eyes stayed closed. After further long minutes he spoke again. ‘Life. I can sense life.’

‘Good. What life?’

‘Small, tiny specks, pinpricks in the Force. They’re separate from my own signature.’

‘Yes, tiny creatures on your skin. Creatures from the whip, now in the wounds. You feel them in the Force. Use the same sense to kill them. Snuff out the pinprick of light and leave only death.’

Kylo’s breath lost its rhythm for a moment. Hux raised an eyebrow. He hadn’t expected Maul to know about germ-theory, let alone deal with it in such a manner.

‘Can I… I can kill like this? What about larger creatures, what about my enemies?’

A fond smile flashed briefly across Maul’s face. ‘You can kill like this, but it is very hard. The larger the creature, the stronger the light in the Force, and the harder it is to snuff it out. A Force-sensitive burns even brighter. Only a very powerful Sith can kill sapient life like this and even then, there are easier ways. 

‘But you should learn this way now. It is a very good focus technique. Kill everything in your wounds, but do not kill all your skin creatures.’

Kylo nodded slowly in the same rhythm as he drew his breaths. Maul watched him for a few minutes before rising and sweeping out of the room. He didn’t look in Hux’s direction once.

Hux glanced at Kylo to make sure he was truly settled in his meditation, before following after Maul. It wasn’t hard keeping the zabrak in sight. He half expected some sort of order to turn back, but he was ignored. They headed deep into the lower decks of the _Finalizer_ where most of the rooms were empty. This entire section was reserved as space for overflow if more troops needed to be billeted for short-term reasons or if there was a sudden influx of resources. 

Eventually Maul came to a door that seemed indistinguishable from any of the others in the corridor. He waved it open without needing any sort of official access. Hux’s jaw clenched. He hated these casual reminders that the order of his ship was so easily circumvented by someone with the Force. However, right now it was more important to remember which room this was. Hux repeated the deck, corridor designation and room number silently to himself until he’d committed them to memory.

Maul walked into the bare room and turned around when he reached the middle. There was no furnishing or ornamentation of any kind, though he’d managed to find a datapad somewhere and it rested in a corner against a wall. The door stayed open behind him and after a moment of trepidation, Hux stepped in as well. The door snapped shut behind him. Hux didn’t jump, but it was a near thing. ‘What do you want, Force-null?’ Maul asked. He seemed genuinely curious and Hux suspected that was the only reason he was allowed to be here at all.

Hux cleared his throat. ‘You’ve seemed… tense, recently. I won’t pretend to know how the Force works, but I can’t help but wonder how sustainable your… feeding off Ky– your apprentice is.’

Maul stared at him with an unreadable look in his golden eyes. ‘What I get from my apprentice is enough to live off and to keep me strong.’

A shudder worked down Hux’s back as he recalled the power of Maul’s lightning display, the pain. He needed to prevent that from happening ever, ever again. ‘Indeed. I was merely wondering if having a second source would be useful to you.’

Maul blinked at him. ‘You… offer yourself?’

Hux wondered if Maul grasped the connotations of what he was saying, of whether it was intentional. ‘You know I fear you,’ Hux forced himself to say, ‘and I don’t believe the mutual hate has dissipated despite a… change in circumstance.’

Maul gave him a long look. ‘You did not come here only to offer me your emotions.’

Hux had suspected that the offer wasn’t quite plausible enough. ‘No. Not _just_ my emotions as they are. The circumstances of when you first fed off me seemed quite efficient. For both of us.’ 

Maul nodded thoughtfully. ‘Yes. There was a lot of anger then and hate. In some ways those are deeper emotions than the pain and fear I take from my apprentice.’

Hux exhaled slowly as Maul stepped forward and cupped the side of his face in one overly-warm palm. As if he needed the reminder that Maul didn’t quite fall under the normal parameters of human physiology. ‘I accept your offer, Force-null.’

‘Good,’ Hux had time to murmur before Maul kissed him. That was surprising. Hux responded as best he could, shivering slightly whenever Maul’s teeth grazed his lip. However, he was more concerned with getting this over with, so he slid to his knees on the durasteel floor. 

This was as straightforward as Hux could make the situation. It was about what he’d expected, though he was surprised by the lack of a bed. Maybe Maul didn’t sleep. Maybe what he took from Kylo, what he was about to take from Hux, was enough to sustain his body in its entirety. He spared a brief thought to wonder if Maul even ate. 

Then Maul twined his hand through Hux’s hair, tugging lightly at the strands. There was less curiosity in his expression than when he’d first touched Hux’s hair, but the glide of his fingers suggested a level of enjoyment. With his other hand, Maul adjusted his robes, deft fingers loosening fastenings and shifting aside layers of cloth. It didn’t take him long to free his half-hard cock.

Hux grabbed one of Maul’s thighs to brace himself, feeling unyielding muscle against his palm. He wrapped his other hand around Maul’s cock and leaned forward to lap at the head. It was the same salty, musky taste as a human and Hux let his eyes slide closed as he took Maul deeper. There was a low hiss from above him. Hux assumed it was a sound of pleasure. Though Maul’s back-handed compliment during their first encounter had been intended to draw out his anger, it had also seemed genuine.

Hux tried to keep himself detached from what he was doing. He approached the task with the same meticulous attention to detail as anything he did, but this wasn’t about the sex. It would have been a lot easier to remain dispassionate if Maul hadn’t been absently scraping his claws against Hux’s scalp and sending shivers down his spine. It would have been much easier if not for the choked-off noises Maul was making and the occasional hitch in his breath. There was an unexpected thrill of power in what Hux was doing. He was getting to Maul, and in some ways this was a vulnerable position for the Sith. If one ignored the fact of his Force-power, of course.

‘You spoke of warning last time,’ said Maul. ‘When I was close.’

Hux froze for a moment with Maul’s cock lying heavy on his tongue. The sudden and surprising courtesy made Hux leery. Still, the hoarseness of Maul’s voice gave Hux a feeling of mixed satisfaction that he’d caused that.

‘I am warning you so you do not choke,’ said Maul. His grip in Hux’s hair had tightened, preventing him from moving back. It was obvious what Maul wanted. His hips twitched forward as he came and Hux swallowed, grimacing at the bitter taste that he’d always disliked. It was a power-play, something designed to sharpen Hux’s anger. In some ways that only made it worse.

Maul drew back. He was smirking. The feeling of him drawing at Hux’s emotions was difficult to place or even describe, but Hux suspected that was what was happening when Maul brushed his fingers against the back of his neck.

Hux stood slowly, hyperaware of the way Maul’s sharp gaze was trained on him. _Predator_ , Hux’s mind supplied with a little thrill of something that wasn’t quite fear, but made his breath come just a bit faster. Maul smiled at him and then in a movement too fast to follow, he pushed him backward until Hux’s back collided with one wall. One of Maul’s arms came up like a solid band across his chest, just below his throat. It was easy to recognise the unspoken command to stay where he was. 

Maul rucked up Hux’s uniform shirt and ran his claws down Hux’s bare chest until he came to the waistband of his pants. He toyed with the hair there a moment before opening the fastenings on Hux’s pants with one hand.

‘You don’t have to—’ Hux began, but Maul interrupted.

‘Will you stop me?’

Hux shook his head mutely. He was achingly hard and the thought of Maul’s hand on him, hot and dangerously tipped with those claws, was startlingly appealing. It also probably wasn’t a good idea to appear recalcitrant. 

‘Good. Your anger is interesting, complex. You have rage against me and hate, but it is also directed at yourself.’ Maul tilted his head considering, while Hux clenched his teeth together to stop himself from retorting. ‘You feel shame, I think.’

Hux was almost going to say something about that, but Maul’s hand curled around his cock and it took all of his focus not to moan at the feeling. It was just a little bit too rough and dry and exactly what he wanted.

‘I like that you fight this, that you fight your enjoyment. It sharpens your rage,’ Maul said.

‘Is, is everything about emotions with you Sith?’ Hux gasped.

A smile flashed across Maul’s face. ‘Yes. Especially when I feed.’

Hux hips thrust forward into Maul’s grip. It was too hot and close with Maul crowding him up against the wall. There was a strange false intimacy in it that twisted something low in Hux’s gut. Maul’s knowing smile was similarly infuriating. 

Hux leaned forward and bit at Maul’s lip. He didn’t risk pressing down hard enough to break the skin, though. Maul tilted his head and turned it into another kiss. His smirk was palpable against Hux’s lips. At the same time, Maul sped up his strokes and tightened his grip on Hux’s cock. Sweat and precome made everything slicker and Hux gasped as he bucked up into that sure grip. Maul stared at him, reading the cues of Hux’s expression and noises. It was far less impersonal than being on his knees and he wondered if the Sith was using that too.

All it took was one more twist of Maul’s fingers and Hux was biting back a curse as he came. The pleasure surged through his body and he had to brace himself against the wall at the sudden weakness in his legs. Maul wiped his fingers against Hux’s uniform and Hux was distantly glad that he was unlikely to run into anyone at this hour when he went back to his quarters.

‘That was… useful, Force-null. Your emotions are concentrated down, held tight. In some ways it is easier to feed off something like that,’ said Maul.

Hux inclined his head the barest fraction. ‘I’m glad to have helped,’ he said.

Maul snorted. ‘No, you’re not. But that too, is useful.’

Hux narrowed his eyes but didn’t say anything further. Maul went to over to his datapad. He instantly dismissing Hux from his awareness with an utter totality that Hux almost admired. Hux didn’t wait around and went back to his rooms. Now all he needed to do was access the ship’s security feeds and work out when Maul left his room, other than during Kylo’s lessons.

///

Hux sighed when he got the comm from Kylo. The message consisted of a cell in Interrogation and no further information. He saved the latest report he was working on and left his datapad on his desk before making his way down. He wouldn’t have to deal with Maul for too much longer once he put his plans into action. Kylo would undoubtedly upset with him, but Hux was not planning on getting tortured again by an undead Sith lord.

When Hux arrived at the cell, Kylo seemed to be arguing with Maul. That was unusual enough to pique Hux’s curiosity. He slipped inside as quietly as he could to hear what was going on.

Kylo’s voice was raised and his face was twisted into a snarl. It was easy enough to read the fear that was underpinning his aggression. Not for the first time, Hux wondered if that was the purpose of Kylo’s mask. Without it, his expressive face betrayed whatever emotions he happened to be feeling.

‘I don’t care about your reasoning, you can’t do that!’ Kylo shouted.

Maul seemed dispassionate in the face of Kylo’s rage. ‘This outburst proves my point. Still, the Force-null is here now.’

Kylo started and looked over at Hux. He’d probably been too preoccupied with his tantrum to notice Hux’s entry. 

Maul turned to face Hux, though his attention remained on Kylo. ‘I have warned you, apprentice. You must be careful about attachments because they can be used against you. Now your Force-null is going to die, to prove the lesson.’ Maul said in even tones. He took a step toward Hux and raised a hand.

For a dizzying moment Hux wondered if Maul had somehow deduced Hux’s assassination plans. All that echoed in his thoughts was the death-threat. Then the words filtered through. He was going to die as part of some stupid Sith ideology to teach Kylo a lesson. There was something profoundly galling about such an ignoble end.

‘Wait!’ Hux shouted as his mind darted through his options. ‘I am a general on this ship, if you kill me, it will be noticed! You’re still trying to hide your presence.’

Maul shrugged. He seemed almost surprised by Hux’s outburst. ‘They would not expect an assassin to linger. I will not be searched for.’

‘Master, don’t, please,’ Kylo begged. His fear had overtaken his anger now, but Maul didn’t seem to be paying him any attention.

‘I’m the only other person that knows you’re here. I’m useful!’ Hux insisted. He hoped it wasn’t going to become necessary to explain _how_ he was useful. 

‘You are a Force-null. Your kind are always expendable.’ Hux suspected that this comment was directed more at Kylo. 

Hux made a break for the door, knowing it was futile. Maul simply clenched his fist and invisible pressure tightened around Hux’s throat. Hux couldn’t stop himself from clawing at his throat as he gaped soundlessly for air. He’d seen Kylo do this to other First Order personnel, but he’d never personally experienced it. Kylo had always stopped short of explicit violence. Hux could feel the pounding of his pulse and his lungs burned from the deprivation. His vision was just starting to tunnel when the pressure was suddenly released. Hux fell to the floor, gasping in lungfuls of oxygen. He raised his head to look between Maul and Kylo. 

Kylo was standing with his feet set apart and his hand raised. He was sweating and his expression was set halfway between fear and a snarl. He was gorgeous like this, Hux thought, though that might have been the light-headedness talking.

‘Stopping attachments is a Jedi philosophy, master,’ Kylo gritted out. ‘I am a Sith and my attachments fuel my strength.’

Maul crooked an amused smile, still with his hand raised in Hux’s direction. ‘You are not a Sith yet, my apprentice.’

‘But I’m still using my anger properly and it’s anger at you trying to kill _my_ Force-null.’

Maul paused for a moment and considered Kylo’s words. He nodded and dropped his hand. ‘You are strong enough to stop me. Good. You will soon be ready.’

Kylo let his own hand fall to his side. He returned the nod warily. ‘Good.’

Maul left without further words. Apparently they didn’t even need to go through a torture session after Kylo had pit his will directly. Both Hux and Kylo stood in silence until they were absolutely sure he was gone. Hux broke the silence first. ‘I know where he stays. I’ve been monitoring the area on the _Finalizer_ and he sometimes goes out exploring late during night-shift. He’s close enough to the hull that I would be prepared to sacrifice a room or two to have him gone. Getting timed explosives will not be problem. I can have him dead within the week,’ Hux said in a light conversational tone.

Kylo folded his arms. ‘I broke his hold. I’m nearly as strong as him these days so I can protect you. You cannot kill Darth Maul.’

‘Oh, I assure you that with sufficient planning I _can_ ,’ Hux snarled.

‘No! I need to kill him myself. That’s how this works. That’s the Sith way. It’s the Rule of Two that stretches all the way back to Darth Bane.’

‘Those ideas mean _nothing_ to me, Kylo. I was willing to tolerate this because your control _has_ been getting better and this seems to be helping you in some bizarre fashion, but I will not let myself be threatened and tortured,’ Hux hissed.

Kylo hesitated for long moment. His fists clenched and unclenched by his sides. Eventually he let out a long breath and his expression went blank. ‘Alright. I’ll push my plans forward. I’ll take a ship out the next day and confront Snoke. After that I’ll return to deal with Maul.’

Hux gaped. ‘That’s ridiculous! You can’t just… Are you even ready for something like that?’

Kylo nodded, looking more serious than Hux had ever seen him. ‘My power has surpassed Snoke. Killing him will give me the strength I need to confront Maul.’

Hux shook his head. ‘You can’t leave the _Finalizer_ alone with that Sith stalking around.’

Kylo smiled grimly. ‘Relax. He won’t be interested in you. You’re not Force-sensitive and when I’m not around you don’t matter to him. You’re less than a person to him. All Force-nulls are.’

‘Charming,’ said Hux. He hesitated for a moment. Then he stepped into Kylo’s space and placed his palms on either side of his face. The kiss was harsh and insistent. Hux pulled back and rested his forehead against Kylo’s. ‘Come back safely and then rip Maul apart.’

Kylo smiled. ‘I will.’

///

Kylo’s ship docked back on the _Finalizer_. He was filled with the heady feeling of victory and the dark side seemed to pulse within his very bones, filling him with power and bloodlust. The return flight hadn’t required too much manual piloting and Kylo had taken the opportunity to meditate. It had strengthened his power and minimised the wounds he’d acquired from his struggle against Snoke. Most of their battle hadn’t left any physical marks at all.

There was only one last thing standing in the way of Kylo’s ascension. He closed his eyes and extended his awareness through the _Finalizer_. The Force signature of Darth Maul was still elusive, but much more clear than he’d ever felt it. Kylo wondered if it was his newfound strength that made it so, or if his master was simply waiting for him. Kylo touched the hilt of his lightsaber just once before making his way to Maul. 

It was late in the day-shift and other people were around. They flared and receded in Kylo’s awareness like little embers of Force energy. He touched the surface of their thoughts as he passed, barely aware of what he was doing. Most of them were surprised to see him without his helmet, but he was generally recognised by the rest of his garments and his height. 

When Kylo came to Maul’s room in the bowels of the ship, he entered without hesitation. It was exactly as stark as he’d imagined it with no sign of ornamentation or comfort. Maul rose from where he’d been sitting against one wall and reading through something on a datapad. 

‘Apprentice.’

Kylo nodded. He didn’t need to speak. 

Maul’s eyes flickered over him, noting the stance and the change in Kylo’s Force signature. He was probably perceptive enough to notice the golden sheen of Kylo’s irises. His battle had changed many things. ‘You’ve killed Snoke,’ Maul said. ‘I can feel the way his death has strengthened your will.’

‘Thank you, my master.’

‘And now you have come to kill your other master, I think. Have you decided to come straight from one battlefield to another? Are you going to fight without giving yourself a chance to rest?’

Kylo nodded again. ‘The battle with Snoke has made me strong and the pain only sharpens my focus.’

Maul smiled, his approval was almost palpable through the Force. ‘Good. Perhaps you truly are ready, after all.’ With no further words, Maul unclipped his saberstaff and engaged the blades. Kylo drew his own weapon and the unstable beam crackled to life beneath his touch. Maul had always disapproved of Kylo’s weapon, but that hardly mattered now. His lightsaber had tasted the dark fluids that had run through Snoke’s veins and its thirst wasn’t quenched yet.

Kylo swung his blade around with a snarl, feeling the dark side flood his body as it had during his battle with Snoke. Maul stepped forward to meet the swing, blocking and counter-striking in one quick movement. Kylo lunged to the side, avoiding the strike and bringing his lightsaber around in a sweep. Maul parried and then darted around in a flanking move. Kylo had expected it from his master’s lectures on lightsaber form, and in particular his dedication to the seventh form. Kylo pivoted on his foot and blocked, forcing Maul backwards with sheer strength.

As the dark side power ran through Kylo’s body, it sharpened his reflexes and pulled strength into his muscle and bone. This was the focus that Maul had been trying to instil in him from the beginning. Kylo felt as if he was standing in the centre of a wild tempest, directing the energy without letting it touch him. This was what he’d felt when he’d fought Snoke and now he was channelling that power against his true master, a Sith lord.

Maul was fast and powerful, but Kylo could feel the dark side energy gradually draining from his form. Every combat manoeuvre bled Maul’s strength as he used the dark side to fuel his fighting as much as Kylo did. It was the only way to keep up. As a being comprised of Force-substance, he was at a severe disadvantage. Kylo keep his elation and every other emotion gathered tightly in the core of his being. This way they fuelled his power without seeping away from him and giving Maul something to draw on.

The fight became something both elegant and brutal. It was almost like dancing, but for the power and ferocity behind each strike. There was a meditative quality to it that drew Kylo into the rhythm of battle. In this state, Kylo eventually saw an opening in Maul’s defences. He wrenched his blade around, and then extended it fluidly. His timing was perfect and his lightsaber sank into Maul’s chest, halfway down the blade. 

Maul gasped, a trickle of blood spilling down his lip despite the cauterisation of the wound. His saberstaff deactivated as it fell to the floor. He managed to smile, even as the light started to fade from his eyes. ‘Well done, apprentice,’ he said. Then he leaned forward into the blade to whisper Kylo’s Sith name. Kylo’s breath caught as the mantle of ‘Darth’ slid around him and settled as something that resonated in him with a feeling of rightness.

‘Thank you, master.’

Darth Maul smiled again. ‘May the Force be with you.’

Kylo felt the passage of his master as a flare of dark side power that swept through the room and through his mind. He was surprised to find tears on his cheeks, though not at all surprised by the way his limbs were shaking. He deactivated his lightsaber and Maul’s corpse dropped to the floor. Whatever Force-sustained substance it was comprised of was fading away in the absence of Maul’s will. In moments there was no trace left of him at all, even the saberstaff was gone.

Kylo sank down until he was half-lying on the floor. Both battles with his masters had drained him and he knew he was going to lose consciousness. The last thing he did was ping Hux’s communicator. Hopefully it would be enough. His eyes slid closed. His new name echoed in his thoughts.

///

Kylo woke with a start in the medbay. He struggled into a sitting position and reached for his lightsaber a second before a calm voice stopped him. ‘Lie back down before you damage something. You’ve been unconscious for three days despite the fact that neither the droids nor the medical personal could find anything wrong with you,’ said Hux.

Kylo lay back down slowly. ‘It was mostly my body’s exhaustion from channelling so much dark side power in so little time.’

Hux made a dismissive gesture. ‘Ah, Force nonsense. It’s suddenly all so clear.’

Kylo huffed a laugh, before sobering. ‘They’re both dead, you know. I killed Snoke and then I came back here and killed Darth Maul.’

‘I know. There have been rumours about the Supreme Leader cutting all communications and there’s been a lot of speculation among the First Order. I’m glad you’ve finally woken up, because this power vacuum is completely unstable. I’ll need someone like you backing me if I’m going to seize control.’

‘Darth Maul was proud of me, in the end,’ Kylo continued, ignoring Hux. ‘I’m a Sith now. He even gave me a new name.’

Hux sighed. ‘And I just got used to calling you “Kylo”, too.’

Kylo caught Hux’s eyes. ‘I won’t be using it in public. The Sith Order will remain secret for now and it’s best for your power-grab if I appear to represent the Knights of Ren and Snoke. I can tell it to you though, if you like.’

Hux’s expression wasn’t easy to read, but Kylo felt the strange swell of his emotions, something half-possessive and half-reverent. ‘Your eyes are different,’ Hux said after a pause.

Kylo gave a sharp smile. ‘Yes. It happens to all dark-side-users, if we go deep enough. Do you like them?’

‘It’s not a human colour,’ Hux pointed out.

‘So transgressive, then?’ Kylo asked. 

Hux flushed and looked away for a moment. ‘I’m glad you managed to survive,’ he said and patted Kylo awkwardly on one shoulder.

Kylo reached across and laid his hand over Hux’s. ‘Your fate and mine, Hux. We’re going to rule this galaxy.’


End file.
